In Season Three, “Highlander: The Series” really began hitting its
stride, deepening both the mythology about its 400-year-old hero Duncan
MacLeod (Adrian Paul) and the world of Immortals in general. This DVD
boxed set more than does it justice, not just in terms of gorgeous
picture quality and highly respectable sound (though these are
important), but also in terms of bonus features. Every single one of
the 22 episodes comes with its own mini-making-of documentary, some as
long as 15 minutes, along with outtakes and deleted scenes from the
episode. Eight episodes also feature audio and video commentary from a
wide variety of folks involved with the show, including star Paul and
line producer Ken Gord. Plenty of series are now coming out in boxed
sets that encompass an entire season, but few if any offer such a
profusion of episode-specific goodies.

Disc 1 begins with “Samurai,” which reveals in flashbacks to feudal
Japan how and why the Scottish MacLeod came to wield a Japanese katana.
The guest cast is excellent – Robert Ito as a samurai for whom honor is
more powerful than life, Tamlyn Tomita in a dual role as his daughter
and a present-day descendant and Stephen McHattie as the descendant’s
autocratic Immortal husband – and the production design by Stephen
Geaghan on a limited budget is amazing. The episode is beautifully made
and has a lot of intriguing moral nuances in both past (MacLeod’s
desire to save the samurai who rescued him comes into conflict with the
samurai’s sense of honor) and the present (MacLeod understands the
other Immortal’s motives but must challenge him anyway), though it
seems MacLeod gives up a little too easily on saving his protector’s
life. Paul does both a full audio commentary and a video commentary –
the latter consists of excerpts of Paul being filmed while watching the
episode and doing the audio commentary – and there are separate
interviews with Paul, creative consultant David Abramowitz, swordmaster
F. Braun McAsh, who is extremely articulate in discussing the sword
moves in the climactic duel, and designer Geaghan. “Highlander”
executive script coordinator Gillian Horvath, who sounds like she knows
where all the bodies are buried, introduces a series of bloopers and
alternate takes.

“Line of Fire” bring MacLeod into conflict with an old Immortal foe
(Randall “Tex” Cobb, doing a great tough-guy baddie), a biker in the
present who in the past was responsible for the death of Mac’s Sioux
lover and her adopted son (and the rest of the tribe). Meanwhile,
MacLeod’s much younger Immortal friend Richie (Stan Kirsch) deals with
an old girlfriend telling him he’s the father of her baby, even though
Immortals are all sterile. There’s a good echoing gunshot, a very nice
starry sky effect and good, subtle color distinctions in the
sepia-toned flashbacks to Mac’s days as a member of a Sioux tribe. The
episode also makes use of Queen’s ballad “Who Wants To Live Forever?”
The Chapter 7 fight between Mac, armed with a spear, and the biker,
who’s got a sword and a knife, is exciting, though the Quickening at
the end, with ghosts and a floating victor, is a bit much. There are
interviews with Kirsch, Geaghan and writer David Tynan, who tells a
story that suggests Cobb may be a bit Immortal himself.

“The Revolutionary” finds MacLeod going up against a former comrade in
arms who has become drunk on the power of leading men into battle. The
moral quandaries represented are good, though the romance between Mac’s
mortal (and unaware of Immortals) friend Charlie (Philip Akin) and a
female revolutionary is slow going. The episode also introduces Dr.
Anne Lindsey (Lisa Howard) as a new ongoing romantic interest for
MacLeod. In the audio commentary, executive producer Bill Panzer is
candid about the less-than-successful arc of the love story, which had
Anne oblivious for way too long to Mac’s supernatural aspects. Paul and
Geaghan are also interviewed, and outtakes include extended footage of
MacLeod dancing. Chapter 1 has a nicely balanced mix of a helicopter
and other ambient sounds with music during an armed skirmish on a
street in the Balkans, while the flashback in Chapter 4 to the Mexican
Revolution looks appropriately hot and dusty. The Quickening in Chapter
8 features the wall of flame that is an opening credits icon.

Disc 2 opens with “The Cross of St. Antoine,” focusing partially on the
character of Joe Dawson (Jim Byrnes), MacLeod’s Watcher (i.e., a mortal
who belongs to a secret organization that chronicles the doings of
Immortals). When Joe’s girlfriend is murdered, he comes to MacLeod for
help (in violation of Watcher rules about non-interference). The
culprit turns out to be a wealthy man (Brion James) who was once an
illiterate trapper who ran afoul of MacLeod in the old days. In
addition to being an actor, Byrnes is a skilled blues performer,
something that is showcased here as Joe moodily plays his guitar while
alone in his bar. Chapter 5 has a very good sequence that is
convincingly dark yet allows us to see all the action as MacLeod and
his Immortal sometimes-girlfriend Amanda (Elizabeth Gracen) indulge in
some burglary. Chapter 7 features an interesting vocal effect as Durgan
literally growls in rage. There is audio and video commentary from
Horvath and script coordinator Donna Lettow (in reality, both women
were far more creatively involved in the series than their titles
indicate), which is impishly funny as they point out various
inconsistencies, implausibilities and other narrative glitches, while
sincerely praising what is good about the show. There are interviews
with Gracen and McAsh and a blooper featuring a pane of glass that
absolutely refuses to break, despite Byrnes’ best efforts.

“Rite of Passage” has MacLeod trying to mentor a newly Immortal
teenaged girl (Gabrielle Miller) who just wants to have fun. The
episode is much more melancholy than the one-liner might suggest – the
girl realizes she cannot tell her adoptive parents she’s not really
dead and must bear witness to their grief from afar. Interviews include
Abramowitz, Paul and Horvath and there’s an outtake of Rob Stewart, as
Mac’s Immortal adversary in the episode, struggling with a line.

“Courage” has one of the most grueling fight scenes in the entire
series as MacLeod is confronted by an old friend (John Pyper Ferguson),
once a master swordsman, who has now succumbed to drugs, drink and fear
of combat. Horvath narrates the original, even more violent version of
the climactic battle. Interviews include episode director Charles
Wilkinson, post-production consultant Don Paonessa and executive
producer Panzer.

Disc 3 begins with “The Lamb,” which explores the intriguing (within
the mythology of the show) question of what happens when an Immortal
experiences first death before adolescence. Enter Kenny (the
angelic-looking Myles Ferguson), who died at 10 and has managed to keep
himself alive for 800 years – by befriending and then whacking every
Immortal he can get the drop on. MacLeod, Richie and Joe all have
different notions on how to deal with the old man in the form of a
child. In the interview segment, Paonessa explains a nifty optical
trick that gives Kenny old man’s eyes during a Quickening (he matted
the eyes of stunt coordinator John Wardlow into Ferguson’s face). Other
interviews include Abramowitz, Kirsch and Gord. An outtake shows
director Dennis Berry at work.

“Obsession” has MacLeod’s old friend (Cameron Bancroft) becoming
fixated on a mortal girl to the point of becoming a stalker, albeit one
without any ill intentions. Panzer, Horvath and Lettow are rather
candid in the interview section about why the episode doesn’t entirely
work. In the supplemental footage section, Horvath explains the actual
placement of a window that appears to be part of MacLeod’s loft.

“Shadows” has Immortal sculptor Garrick (Garwin Sandford) offering to
help a troubled MacLeod with a series of hallucinations plaguing the
Highlander. Alas, it turns out Garrick himself is insane, blaming
MacLeod for a particularly horrific and protracted death. The episode
is genuinely atmospheric and, by episodic TV terms, nightmarish, with
great use of gargoyles and other art details throughout. Chapter 2 has
good crowd sounds, Chapter 3 makes nice use of a swelling operatic
soprano as source music with dialogue and sound effects in the sonic
foreground of Garrick’s workshop and Chapter 4 has jaunty blues music,
actually being played by the onscreen performer. There is strong
emotion in a sequence in which MacLeod almost accidentally beheads
Richie. On the downside, there’s a fair amount of the previously
remarked-on dodgy relationship between Mac and Anne. Episode director
Wilkinson offers audio and video commentary, which is informative about
various aspects of making film and television, offering the tidbit that
directors are not permitted to directly address extras. Interviews
include Abramowitz, Tynan and McAsh, who points out there are five
separate fight sequences in the episode. There are alternate scenes and
outtakes.

Disc 4 begins with “Blackmail,” which loosely borrows the plot of
“Strangers on a Train” – a man (Bruce Dinsmore) who videotapes Duncan
killing a fellow Immortal tries to blackmail the Highlander into
killing the man’s wife, while Mac is contending with the dead Immie’s
angry partner (Anthony de Longis). The episode is notable primarily for
guest star de Longis’ sword skills, which make the final combat truly
exciting. De Longis, who also wrote the sword material for the Watchers
Chronicles feature on the discs, provides audio and video commentary,
discussing the fights in great detail. Interviews include de Longis,
Panzer, McAsh and Horvath, who humorously mentions a list the writers
have of phrases so clichéd that they were to be avoided at all costs.
Outtakes include literal gallows humor, with a hanging scene that goes
awry.

“Vendetta” is a rather schtick-laden comedic episode, which finds Mac
reluctantly dealing with small-time and unsuccessful Immortal con
artist Benny (Tony Rosato), who is so inconsequential that Mac shrugs
off an attempted murderous betrayal. Paul is frank about the episode’s
flaws in the interview section, which also includes Tynan and Panzer.
The Jazz Age costumes in the flashback are nifty, though, and Horvath
shows us an extended version of Paul dancing, which is shown in grainy
long-shot but nevertheless fun for fans.

“They Also Serve” is a superior episode that explores a number of
variations on the relationships between Watchers and their Immortal
subjects, with Mary Woronov as a Watcher who has crossed the line so
far that she’s advising “her” Immortal (a pre-“Saving Private Ryan”
Barry Pepper) on who he should fight. Mac’s friendship with Joe is
deepened at the same time that he is endangered by the other
Watcher/Immortal bond. Interviews include Paul, Geaghan and costume
designer Christina McQuarrie; supplemental footage includes a longer
version of a pivotal poker game scene.Disc
5 opens with “Blind Faith,” which asks a fascinating question – if
MacLeod condemns old friends who have turned bad, how should he feel
about old foes who seem to have repented? The issues are explored
intriguingly, with Richard Lynch providing a thoughtful guest turn as a
former conscienceless mercenary who may or may not have undergone a
change of heart. Interviews include Panzer, Abramowitz – who is sincere
yet intentionally very amusing about his personal take on redemption –
and Horvath.

“Song of the Executioner” introduces the
extremely villainous Kalas (David Robb) at the start of a three-episode
arc, who crops up again in the Season Three two-part finale. Kalas is
impressively evil, providing MacLeod with a truly worthy opponent.
Interviews include Paul, Tynan and Geaghan, and the outtakes show Paul
and Panzer dousing each other with champagne.

“Star-Crossed” brings the return of MacLeod’s irrepressible pal Hugh
Fitzcairn, played by the equally irrepressible Roger Daltrey – yes, the
lead singer for the Who, having a fine time as a frisky Immortal. The
episode has comedy, tragedy – and Paris, as the series makes its
seasonal move from “Seacouver” (Vancouver standing in for an unnamed
American city) – and the continuing menace of Kalas. In short, it’s got
all kinds of good stuff, working very well. Interviews include Panzer,
Gord and Kirsch, who is charmingly fannish when he talks about meeting
rock god Daltrey. Outtakes include Paul and Daltrey laughing during a
car scene.

Disc 6 has “Methos,” the episode that introduces its title character
(Peter Wingfield), who became far more pivotal in the series than
anyone could possibly imagine. Kalas decides he’s going to get a power
boost by tracking down and killing the legendary oldest Immortal, the
5,000-year-old Methos. No one is sure Methos even exists, but when Joe
sends Mac to look for the old fellow, Mac shortly finds a deceptively
relaxed, pizza-munching, beer-drinking grad student type who has been
posing as a mortal within the Watchers organization. It is just about
impossible to overstate the vitality and humor Wingfield brings from
his first appearance, something that Abramowitz remarks on at length in
his interview here. Other on-camera interviews include composer/sound
mixer Chris Ainscough and Wingfield, who talks about how what he
thought would be a one-shot job that made no sense to him at the time
wound up completely changing his life. This is also a big Richie
episode, so Kirsch and Wingfield both provide audio commentary.
Wingfield is extremely insightful and thoughtful about his character.
Alternate footage includes extended versions of two scenes.

“Take Back the Night” has Irish warrior woman Ceirdwyn (Kim Johnson
Ulrich) bent on vengeance after her mortal husband is murdered by
street punks. Since Ceirdwyn talked MacLeod out of a vindictive frenzy
back in 1746 Scotland, he now aims to return the favor. The episode is
notable for some pretty full-tilt (and full of fighting extras) battle
sequences in the flashbacks. The interview segment includes Paonessa,
Gord and McAsh, who discusses the difficulty on staging combat
sequences with multiple opponents all swinging swords. Cut scenes
include a pub fight and an extended version of a scene between Ceirdwyn
and a drunk and injured MacLeod.

“Testimony” has a rather surprising twist on the
MacLeod-runs-into-an-evil-old-enemy scenario, with Richie ultimately
taking on the malefactor, to good suspenseful effect. There is also
some comedy in the episode, courtesy of Anne, newly informed of the
world of Immortals, reacting to the oddness of it all. Chapter 2 has
particularly beautiful saturated colors as Mac shows Anne around the
warehouse where he stores his keepsakes from over the centuries, though
the exteriors on the climactic fight in Chapter 7 are a little too dark
for maximum visibility. The interviews include editor Laura Mazur,
Tynan and McAsh, and the outtakes show Kirsch grappling with a
hard-to-spit-out line.

Disc 7 starts with “Mortal Sins,” which deals with the long-term
fallout that MacLeod’s existence has had on Bernard, a young boy
(Georges Janin) with the French Resistance when he first met MacLeod
and now an elderly priest (Roger Bret) harboring guilt over having
killed a Nazi officer (Andrew Woodall) to protect the Highlander all
those years ago. The Nazi, however, is also Immortal. The subplot has
Anne deciding that the Immortal existence is too violent for her to be
around (an understandable but unsympathetic choice, given that we’ve
already seen the estimable Tessa – shown here in a flashback – cope
just fine). The episode is decent, though the big conundrums belong to
the characters around MacLeod rather than the main character himself.
The interview segment includes Abramowitz and Gord, who animatedly
discuss a dispute they had with the episode’s director, Mario
Azzopardi, about the actions of the priest character.

“Reasonable Doubt” has MacLeod living to regret helping a fellow
Immortal back in the day. It’s somewhat routine, albeit not bad. The
interview segment includes Panzer, Horvath and Mazur.

Disc 7 also has the blooper reel but, as Panzer points out in his
introduction, it’s the same blooper reel that accompanies the Season
One DVD release. While it’s true that it’s unlikely anyone would make a
purchase decision on the Season Three set based solely on the presence
of new bloopers, the repetition is worth noting.

Disc 8 contains the two-episode Season Three finale, entitled “Finale
Pt. 1” and “Finale Pt. 2.” The episodes are jam-packed with events, as
Amanda breaks Kalas out of prison in order to kill him for MacLeod,
Kalas gets away and goes gunning for MacLeod, a Watcher’s widow decides
to reveal the existence of Immortals to the world, Joe contemplates
murder, Methos returns and there is both a tango (Mac and Amanda) and a
swordfight (Mac and Kalas) actually filmed atop the Eiffel Tower. It’s
as exciting and entertaining as it could possibly be. Paul provides
audio and video commentary (including a nice parody of the
opening-titles speech) and the interview segments include comments from
Paul, Tynan, McAsh, Gracen, Horvath and Lettow.

The disc also contains the “finale teaser,” a three-minute making-of
featurette that advertises a longer version of itself, which is
mystifyingly not included here, and outtakes of a promotional spot from
Paul.

Additional extras include episode-specific entries from the Watchers
Chronicles, purportedly written by Watchers but actually penned by
Lettow. These are improved over previous seasons, in that the contrast
between text and background is now much more reader-friendly.

The video quality continues the sharp, bright-colored excellence seen
on the DVD sets of Seasons One and Two, and the sound quality is
generally exemplary for a TV episodic as well.

This is a terrific show, visibly getting better before our eyes over
the course of Season Three, and brought to us here with a loving
treasure trove of extras. “Highlander the Series: Season Three” is the
epitome of value for money in a DVD boxed set.